Member Article

New Scheme for Tech Firms with Heart

~~An Accelerator scheme aimed at new tech ventures that help address a big social challenge is inviting teams of two to four people to apply for a business boot camp designed to fire them to success.

Dotforge Social Ventures offers successful teams £30,000 investment, three months of free office space in Sheffield, a further eight months incubation and access to up to 80 world-class mentors, with powerful business connections. The course is being led by Plusnet founder-turned-start-up guru, Lee Strafford and Emma Cheshire.

Emma said: “By drawing together the North of England’s impressive wealth of talent and passion for social and tech innovation, the accelerator programme is also providing a ‘home’ for social entrepreneurs in the North based at the Dotforge Social Ventures HQ in Sheffield.”

The accelerator programme has been developed by Key Fund – the biggest regionally based social investor operating across the North of England; The RSA – the globally recognised organisation which is catalysing social impact through their international fellowship; and Dotforge - a commercial accelerator for tech-driven companies.

Emma said: “It’s a fantastic way to ignite the economy in Yorkshire and create positive social impact giving social entrepreneurs the tools they need to turn their social missions into attractive business models and commercial propositions.”

With over £1 million in funding from the Social Incubator Fund which is managed by the Big Lottery Fund for the Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office, Dotforge Social Ventures is running two accelerator programmes in 2015.

After the initial three months the ventures will have access to a further eight months of resources to help them grow, including office space, fund raising and sales support and access to a further investment pot of £500,000 over a two-year plus period.

Emma added: “The Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield city regions have over 21,000 businesses in the tech, media and telecoms industries employing over 200,000 people. There is an opportunity to work across these great city regions to build technology-focused social ventures that have the ambition to solve big social challenges and go national or even global.”

Applications are now open online, visit http://social.dotforgeaccelerator.com; applicants will receive £30,000 convertible investment with access to further funds following successful development of their enterprise.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Cause UK .